Road grader



Dec. 17, 1935. W. A. cos-r 2,024,994

ROAD GRADER v Filed May 2o. 1935 2 sheets-sheet 1 unnmllmmnmm WilI illll W. A. COST ADec. 17, 1935.

ROAD GRADER K Filed May 2o, 1935 2 sheets-sheet 2 M2M/7 Cos 7;

Patented Dec. 17, 1935 PATENT OFFICE ROAD GRADER William A. Cost, Indianapolis, Ind., assignor'to J. D. Adams Manufac turing Company, Indianapolis, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Appueetiei May zo, 1935, serial Ne. 22,403

s claims. (c1. :9i-15s) In road graders and similar earth-working machines it is customary to effect adjustments of the blade or other earth-working tool through the medium of worm gearing in order to obtain the mechanical advantage necessary in adjusting the relatively vheavy movable parts. While worm gearing'is nominally irreversible, it is found in practice that the vibration incident to grader operation and the great stresses which the parts are called upon to sustain prevent the worm gearing from being completely irreversible with the result that the adjusting mechanisms frequently creep and change the setting of the adjusted part. In manually controlled yroad graders, the manually operated member of each adjusted mechanism is usually a wheel of considerable diameter, and any creeping movement of such wheel is readily discernible by the operator. who `may immediately correct the adjustment. In graders where the adjustments are effected by power, however, there may be no large manually operated adjusting wheels, and the creeping of any adjusting mechanism is therefore not readily apparent.

It is the object of my invention to provide. those adjusting mechanisms of a road graden or similar machine which are subject to creeping with means which will prevent any change in the adjustment except such changes as the operator desires. More specifically, it is my object to secure this result by a mechanism which can be readilyincorporated in a grader of any type and which is simple and economical to manufacture. l

In carrying out my invention I associate with the adjusting mechanism which is to be controlled a two-way brake-which operates between a stationary part of the machine and a rotatable part of the adjusting mechanism, preferably that rotating part which has the highest speed; and I provide mechanism for automatically releasing the brake to the extent necessary to effect any adjustment which the operator desires. In its preferred embodiment, the mechanism is in the form of a two-way roller brake having .two pairs'of rollers which operate between a stationary collar and a cam carried by the shaft whose movement is to be controlled, the cam and rollers being so arranged that any tendency of the cam to rotate wedges one or the other pair of rollers between it and the collar to prevent such rotation. The adjusting mechanism includes a rotatable driving element coaxial with the cam-carrying shaft, such driving element being provided with fingers located the plane of the rollers and so disposed that when the driving element is rotated in either direction the lingers will engage and force toretracted and inoperative position those rollers which normally operate to prevent rotation 'of thc 5 cam in that direction.

yThe accompanying drawings illustrate my invention: Fig. 1 is a plan view of a road grader with part of the frame structure broken away as indicated by the line I-I of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a 10 side elevation of the road grade Fig. 3 is an end elevation of one of the grader adjusting mechanisms with which my invention is associated, with parts of theI gear casing broken away to illustrate the interior construction; Fig. 4 is 15 a fragmental vertical section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is an isometric view of the element which drives the adjusting mechanism. 20

[The grader illustrated in the drawings comprises a main frame' III supported at its opposite ends on front and Arear wheel-supported axles II and I2. Connected through a universal connection to the main frame I0 near the front25 end thereof is a draw-bar I3 to which the blade vI4 is attached through the medium of a circle I5 which is rotatable on the draw-bar to vary the angle between the blade and the longitudinal centerline of the machine. As is customary in 30 graders of this type, means are provided for securing independent vertical adjustment of opposite sides of the draw-bar I3 at its rearend and for shifting the rear end of the draw-bar transversely of the machine. I 35 In the machine shown in the drawing, vertical adjustment of the rear end of the draw-bar is secured by the rotation of liftarms I1 and I8` having at their front ends cranks connected by lift-links I9 with transversely spaced peints at 40 the rear end of the draw-bar. Transverse movement of the rear end of the draw-bar is under 1 the control of a shaft 20 having at its front 'end a crank 2| connected by a link 22 to the rear end of the draw-bar. As previously indicated, the adjustments ofthe blade I4 are usually secured through worm gearing, .several sets of which are shown in the drawings. The lift arm I'I is rotated by means of worm gearing `contained in a casingI 25 suitably supported from 50 the frame III near the rear end of the machine. Similar worm gearing contained in Ka casing 26 on the opposite side of the machine ejects control ot the lift arm I8. A third set of worm glillg, in a casing 21, rotates the shaft 20; 55

and a fourth set, contained in the casing 28 mounted on the draw-bar I3, regulates the position of the circle I5.

The machine may include other adjusting mechanisms for enecting -additional adjustments; but as my invention is not concerned with the particular adjustment effected, the adjusting mechanisms so far referred to will be adequate to indicate the nature of my invention and its application. "Ihe various adjustments, irrespective of their number, are effected by means of power derived from a small engine 33 which may be operatively connected to any of the adjusting mechanisms through suitable gearing and clutches disposed in a control box 3| and under the control of a series of control levers 32, one for each of the adjusting mechanisms. My present invention is not concerned with any detalls of the arrangement of the parts within the control box, which may conveniently be constructed in accordance -with the disclosure of my copending application Serial No. 661,442, filed March 18, 1933.

For purposes of illustration, I have shown my invention as associated with the adjusting mechanism which controls the position of the lift arm I1 and the rear right-hand corner oi the draw-bar; but it is to be understood that it can be associated with any other adjusting mech,- anism which the grader embodies. Referring to Fig. 3, I have shown the lift arm I1 as provided ,within the casing 25 with a worm gear 35 meshing with a worm 35 rigid with a worm-shaft 31. Power for rotatingthe worm-shaft 31 is derived from a shaft 38 which extends from the control box 3| and is connected through a universal joint 33 and helical gears 48 and 4| to the shaft 31 The spiral gear 43 is rigid with a shaft 42 which is rotatably supported in suitable bearings in an enclosing casing 43 carried. by the lhousing 25. 'I'he shaft 42 carries near its rear end a twolobed cam 45 disposed within a stationary collar 45 secured to the casing 43 as by being provided with a ange 41 held in place by screws 43. At

the clockwise face of each lobe of the cam 45 4 l there is disposed within the eener 4s e roller 5o',

similar rollers 5| being located at the counterclockwise faces of the respective cam-lobes.

'Ihe lobes of the cam 45 are so shaped that upon any tendency of the shaft 42 to rotate one or the other pair of the rollers 50 and 5| will be wedged between the cam and the inner surface of the collar 48 to prevent rotation. Specifically, clockwise direction, Ithe lobes of the cam will enshouldthe shaft 42 tend to rotate in a gage the opposite rollers 50 and, by a wedging action, prevent clockwise rotation of the shaft.

Similarly, should the shaft 42 tend to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction, the rollers 5| will be wedged between the lobes of the cam and the inner surface of the collar 43.

In the transverse plane of the cam 45 and midway between the lobes thereof the shaft 42 carries two outwardly'extending ribs 53, each of such ribs having rollers 58 'and 5| on opposite sides. Each rib may be provided'with a hole which extends through it and which contains a compression spring 54 acting on the two rollers on opposite sides of the rib and tending to force such rollers outwardly against the inner surface oi' the collar 45. l

The driving element of the adjusting mechanism illustrated in the drawings is in the form of a sleeve 55 which is rotatable upon the extreme rear end of tlie shaft 42 land to which lthe front member of the universal joint 35 is rigidly connected. At its front end, the sleeve 55 is provided with two forwardly extending lingers 55 which overlie the two lobes of the cam 45. The angular extent of each of the fingers 55V is somewhat less than the distance between the two rollers 53 and 5| on its opposite sides, so that the presence of the ilnger will not interfere with the, desired locking action of each of such 10 rollers. As the only operative connection between the driving sleeve 55 and the shaft 42 is through the lingers 56 the rollers, and the ribs 53,' the fact that each finger has an angular extent less than the distance between the rollers 15 on either side'of it results in a certain degree of lostmotion between the driving element and the shaft.

When the adjusting mechanism is not being operated, the rollers 50 and 5| act as abovev de- 20 scribed to prevent the shaft 42 from rotating 4under forces transmitted to it from the road 42, the fingers 55 will be driven in the direction 35 of the arrows in Fig. 5. As they move in that direction, the fingers 55 engage the rollers 5|, whichnor'mally operate to prevent counterclockwise rotation of the shaft 42, and force such rollers `out of locking position and into engage- 40 ment with the ribs 53. As rotation of the shaft 38 continues, the shaft 42 is driven in a counterclockwise direction through the fingers 55, the rollers 5|, and the ribs 53. The rollers 50 are ineffective to prevent this rotation, as any fric- 45 tion between them and the inner face of the collar 48 tends to move each roller 53 toward the. base of its associated cam-lobe where it is out of locking position. To secure an adjustment in the reverse direction, the control lever 32 associ- 50 ated with the shaft 38 is operated to effect clockwise rotation of the sleeve 55 and the fingers 56 which it carries.` Under these circumstances, the fingers 55 will engage therollers 50 and force them into retracted position against the ribs 53. In either instance, the torque -imposed upon the shaft 42 is transmitted through the fingers 58 and one pair of the rollers 50 and 5| to the ribs.

As soon as the adjustment has proceeded to the desired extent, the operator restores the control 60 lever 32 to its neutral position thus stopping rotation of the shaft 38and sleeve 55. When this occurs, the springs 54 force. both sets of rollers 50 and 5| into their respective operative u positions vwhere they act to prevent any rotation 6U of the shaft' 42 and any creeping in the adjusting mechanism associated therewith.

While it is not essential that the locking device be associated with the shaft 42 rather than with the shaft 31 or even with the uit erm I1, I 70 prefer to associate it with the shaft 42 wher by reason of the mechanical advantage provided by the gearings 48--4I and 35-36, lthe stresses to which it is subjected will be lessened. Of course, in a case where the train of power-transmitting 3| is of such a nature that the shaft 38 30- 1. In a road grading machine having an adjustable earth-working implement, an 'adjusting mechanism for effecting adjustments of said implement, said adjusting mechanism including speed-reducing gearing having a driving shaft, a cam rotatable with said driving shaft and having an outwardly projecting lobe, a stationary -collar surrounding said cam, two rollers disposed within said collar on opposite sides of said lobe and adapted normally to be wedged between said lobe and collar to prevent rotation of said driving shaft', abutments rotatable with said shaft and positioned to limit movement of said rollers away from said cam-lobe, a rotatable driving element co-axial with said cam and having a finger overlying said cam-lobe in position to engage either roller and move it into contact with its associated abutment, a source of power carried bythe machine, and means for operatively connecting said source of power to said driving element to rotate it in either direction.

l2. In an earth-working machine, an adjustable element, an adjusting mechanism for effecting adjustments of said element, said adjusting mechanism including speed-reducing gearing having a driving shaft, a cam rotatable with said driving shaft and having an outwardly projecting lobe, a stationary collar surrounding said cam, two rollers disposed within said collar on opposite sides of said lobe and adapted normally to be wedged between said lobe and collar to prevent rotation of said driving shaft, abutments rotatable with said shaft and positioned to limit movement of said rollers away from said camlobe, a rotatable driving element co-axial with said cam and having a finger overlying said camlobe in position to engage either roller and move it into contact with its associated abutment, a source of power carried by the machine, and means for operatively connecting said source of power to said driving element to rotate it in either direction.

3. In an earth-working machine, an adjustable element, an adjusting mechanism for effecting adjustments of said element, said adjusting mechanism having a driving shaft, a cam rotatable with said driving shaft and having an outwardly vprojecting lobe, a stationary collar surrounding said cam,l two rollers disposed within said collar on opposite sides of said lobe and adapted normally to be vwedged between said lobe and collar to prevent rotation of said driving shaft, abutments rotatable with said shaft and positioned to limit movement of said rollers away from said cam-lobe, a rotatable driving element co-axial with said cam and having a finger overlying said cam-lobe in position to `engage either roller and move it into contact with its associated abutment, a source of power carried by the machine, and means for operatively'connecting said source of power to said driving element to rotate it in either direction.

4. In an earth-working machine, an adjustable element, an adjusting mechanism for effecting adjustments of said element, said adjusting mechanism including a rotatable shaft, a stationary member, brake means operating between said shaft and said stationary member and normally effective to prevent rotation of said shaft in either direction, a source of power carried by said machine, a rotatable driving element co- 4axial with said shaft and having a lostfmotion 30 connection therewith, means for operatively connecting said source of power to said driving -element, and provisions operative upon rotation of said driving element relative to said' shaft for releasing said brake means.

5. In an earth-working machine, an adjustable element, an adjusting mechanism for effecting adjustments of said element, said adjusting mechanism including speed-reducing. gearing having a rotatable driving shaft, a stationary 40 member, brake means operating between said shaft and said stationary member and normally effective to prevent rotation of said shaft in either direction, a source of power carried by said machine, a rotatable driving element co- 5 axial with said shaft and having a lost-motion connection therewith, means for operatively connecting said source'of power to said driving element, and provisions operative upon rotation of said driving element relative to said shaft for releasing said brake means.

WILLIAM A. COST. 

